‘Leather on leather’: men with homosexual practices and HIV prevention in the Recife Metropolitan Region

Abstract

In this text we address sexual practices and HIV prevention in the circuits of men who have sex with men (MSM) in the Metropolitan Region of Recife (RMR), based on a  behavioral survey with 380 MSM, aged between 18 and 51 years, and interviews with 20 of the respondents. The analyzed data were collected between January 2016 and February 2017, when Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) was not yet available and Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) was little known (51%) and used (1.3%). Unprotected Anal Sex (UAS) (50.6% in steady partners, 30.2% in casual partners) generally occurred between partners who were presumed
to be HIV-negative. Serologies were inferred by ties (stranger, acquaintance, friend, boyfriend). Emotions
( fear, lust, love, trust, disgust, neediness) were important in UAS configuration, almost always linked to attachments. We observed dissident pleasure regimes of heteronormativity: mouth-anus and mouth-penis; threesome and group sex. Considering the strong presence of UAS and the high prevalence of HIV in Recife
(21.5%), we found the need for educational actions that introduce combined prevention techniques (condoms, PrEP, PEP, serochoice, negotiated safety etc.) through narratives that incorporate dissident bonds, emotions,
and pleasure regimes, so that, when approaching the contexts of use, they enable safer choices.